System of automated document processing

ABSTRACT

System is proposed of automated document processing, comprising a document, consisting of two sections—the main section, containing data in printed character form, and the supplementary section in the machine-readable form; document forming means; document inputting means; character recognition means; main and supplementary data comparison means. Said system uses the supplementary section data to confirm the main section data.  
     The supplementary section data can fully or partly duplicate the main section data, supplement it and also comprise other additional data.  
     The supplementary machine-readable section can be realized in a form of coded consecution of characters, printed graphic image (bar-code), magnetic, optical, microprocessor or other kind of data storage means.  
     For enhancing security of document all or a part of data can be coded prior to introduction into supplementary section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a document formation, input, control and processing automation and more particularly to the recognition of printed and handwritten characters from a bit-mapped image file.

[0003] 2. Prior Art

[0004] According to traditional methods a document processing comprises a document formation in printed form on a paper media, and the further input thereof, commonly manually or by scanning and recognition means at the point of accepting, processing, registering and storing. But for all that both methods do not guarantee the absence of errors. During the manual input the most of errors are sequent of the peculiarities of a human as an operator. An automated input via scanning and recognition—causes errors due to the probabilistic base of recognition methods.

[0005] An automated documents input and recognition is used in a bank automated system of payment documents input [ABBYY FineReader Bank. Ver.4.1. Users manual. Moscow: 1998], according to which the point of accepting documents is equipped with optical scanner, connected to computer, where the recognition process is performed. The system performs the payment document scanning and further text recognition, i.e. uses the probabilistic methods that can cause errors. In the said system the verification is performed by an operator causing the decrease of system productivity in comparison with fully automated control.

[0006] Known systems uses various kinds of supplementary machine-readable data storage means for various technical results achievement.

[0007] Traditionally bar-code is used in connection with documents or goods for assigning to them a unique machine-readable identification number for automated registration or recordation purposes. The following US patents can be an example of this—U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,647 Jun. 17,1997, U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,535 Aug. 21, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,975 Jul. 11, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,221 Dec. 1, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,806 Sep. 8, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,819 Nov. 4, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,107 Feb. 20, 1996.

[0008] The main inadequacy of traditional systems is a limitation of bar-code use mainly for identification number storage.

[0009] A system of mail items registration and service, according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,487 Aug. 8, 2000, proposes postal requisites coding and inserting into bar-code, marked on mail item for automation of passing through process till the addressee. The said system is likewise the previous one mentioned.

[0010] The inadequacy of the system is through the different sources from which a human operator and a computer get the address data, and the impossibility of an operator to visually control the bar-code data.

[0011] One more known system for enhancing security of gaming tickets (tickets in game business) by embodying a machine-readable indicium (preferably bar-code) into payout ticket from a gaming machine, is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,044 Aug. 29,2000. This system does not suppose mass ticket processing with automated data comparison between text and bar-code sections of each ticket. The data verification is performed visually for each winning ticket and is not a quick process.

[0012] The main disadvantage of the method is its unfitness for automated verification of text data with that of bar-code.

[0013] Another known method deals with the bar-code used for document registration purposes in an automated specialized database (U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,923 Mar. 12, 2002). According to it a registration card is marked by a bar-code containing an accounting data and a table of contents of the document in coded form. Said table of contents has no room on the card in text form. The system either does not support automated verification and confirmation of the text data via bar-code data.

[0014] In the automated system of payment document formation and control, proposed in patent RU #2190252 Sep. 27, 2002, a bar-code, either one- or two-dimensional, is used for providing automatic document input. All significant data of payment document of standard form is written to bar-code printed on the spare space of the document. The system is provided with special device for bar-code data input. Payment document data read from bar-code is directed to the further bank processing and storage. A mutual data confirmation between bar-code and text is not provided.

[0015] The system is not enough falsification safe, since the text portion of document and its bar-code portion can contain different transaction details that can't be verified visually. The differences may concern payment sum, beneficiary details etc. The falsification safeness is especially important for payment documents, that are the main subject of the said patent.

[0016] To increase the falsification safeness of text or/and bar-code data the said system needs to be added by supplemental visual verification of text data conformity with bar-code data, that will cause involving a human operator into process and thus considerably decreasing the system productivity.

[0017] So, all known methods are highly limited in ability to automated data input and control (confirmation) and thus it cannot be used for achieving the declared technical result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The technical result of the proposed invention is in acceleration of document processing, reducing data input errors, confirmation of document data authenticity.

[0019] The said technical result is achieved by dividing the document into two sections—the main section, containing data in a text form, and the supplementary section, containing data copy of all or significant portion of document information, any additional data, adapted for automated input by special computer compatible devices, and not convenient or even impossible for human visual perception. The addition of said machine-readable data section eliminates input errors, provides data protection function, prevents from manual data modification. In the present invention the supplementary data is used either for automated verification of recognition results of the main section text or data contents confirmation.

[0020] The system of present invention comprises:

[0021] a) a document, comprising at least of two sections—a main section, containing document data in a text form, suitable for human visual perception, and a supplementary section, containing data in a machine-readable form;

[0022] b) document forming means, providing printing of the text portion of document, and data transformation to machine-readable form and writing it onto the supplementary section thereof;

[0023] c) document data input means, suitable for either a character (commonly optical scanning device), or a machine-readable data input. Readers for machine-readable data may differ, depending on machine-readable media type;

[0024] d) character recognition means, commonly specialized software for text recognition from bit-mapped image file, obtained from optical scanner or the like; in the preferred embodiment as a specialized software is successfully used “ABBYY FineReader” or “ABBYY FormReader” of the latest versions, depending of the document type (“ABBYY FineReader” Ver.6.0. Users Guide. Moscow: 2002. , “ABBYY FormReader” Ver.4.1. Users Guide. Moscow: 2001).

[0025] e) means for the main and supplementary data comparison. The comparison of all or a part of document data is provided. The size of compared portions of data is set beforehand. Depending upon the document type information of either the main section or the supplementary one may be considered as a correct data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0026]FIG. 1a shows a document provided by one-dimension bar-code.

[0027]FIG. 1b shows a document provided by two-dimension bar-code.

[0028]FIG. 1c shows a document provided by data coded by a character consecution.

[0029]FIG. 1d shows a document provided by magnetic data media.

[0030]FIG. 1e shows a document provided by optical data media.

[0031]FIG. 1f shows a document provided by magneto-optical data media.

[0032]FIG. 1g shows a document provided by electromechanical data media.

[0033]FIG. 1h shows a document provided by electronic microprocessor data media.

[0034]FIG. 2 shows the flow diagram of the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] The main distinction of the system, proposed by the present invention is that it uses the document main and supplementary sections data for the mutual comparison and confirmation of data accuracy.

[0036] The document formation means are not connected physically with the rest part of the system.

[0037] The supplementary section may contain at least a copy of whole or a part of document data. The supplementary section data can besides it supplement the main section data, or contain other additional information.

[0038] The supplementary section of the document may be realized either as printed on the document or embodied into it (or attached to it).

[0039] The supplementary section of the document may be placed on the empty space either on the face or opposite side thereof.

[0040] Various kinds of stroke or graphic images can be printed on the document, and particularly the standard and/or non-standard bar-codes, points and/or spots assemblies, characters successions, and their combinations.

[0041] The embodied or attached means can be realized as machine-readable media of various kinds. It can be realized on magnetic, optical, micro-electronic, micro-processor or other bases, if its dimensions provide to imbed it into empty band of the document, and its data access provides to apply such document into technological process of data processing.

[0042] The decision-making rule may vary depending on the different document types. The data of either the main or the supplementary section may be assumed as a correct one. Some kind of conclusion can be made even in the case of non-coincidence of both sections, giving no preference anyone of them.

[0043] In the case of the main and supplementary sections data discrepancy, the final decision about the data correctness and contents may be made with the help of human operator or by special automated means.

[0044] For enhancing security of document all or a part of data can be additionally coded prior to introduction into supplementary section.

[0045] Some kinds of document realizations, adapted to work (fit, function) in the system, proposed by the present invention are shown in FIG. 1a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d, 1 e, 1 f, 1 g.

[0046]FIG. 1a shows a document provided by one-dimension bar-code.

[0047]FIG. 1b shows a document provided by two-dimension bar-code.

[0048]FIG. 1c shows a document provided by data coded by a character consecution.

[0049]FIG. 1d shows a document provided by magnetic data media.

[0050]FIG. 1e shows a document provided by optical data media.

[0051]FIG. 1f shows a document provided by magneto-optical data media.

[0052]FIG. 1g shows a document provided by electromechanical data media.

[0053]FIG. 1h shows a document provided by electronic microprocessor data media.

[0054]FIG. 2 shows the flow diagram of the system.

[0055]FIG. 1a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d, 1 e, 1 f, 1 g, 1 h, show the main (1) and the supplementary (2) sections of a document.

[0056] The essence of the invention is illustrated on the FIG. 2.

[0057] By means of a document forming device (1) a new document (2) is created, containing two sections—the main section with all data of the document printed on it in usual printed character form, suitable for human visual perception, and the supplementary section with data in machine-readable form. To use a special data media, differing from printed image in the supplementary section, a special input device is necessary.

[0058] Document forming device may be not connected physically with the rest part of the system.

[0059] Document is directed to the system input device (3), fit for optical scanning of the character data of the main section and supplementary section data. If a special data media, used in the supplementary section, differs from printed image, a special input device is necessary.

[0060] The main section data is then directed for character recognition and marking out the significant portion thereof (4).

[0061] Whole or a predefined portion of the main section data is then compared with whole or a predefined portion of the supplementary section data in the block of comparison (5).

[0062] If data from both sections coincide with each other, the document is assumed as correct and is directed to the further processing or storage (7).

[0063] If data from both sections doesn't coincide with each other, whole data is directed to the additional processing (6). The said additional processing may be performed with the human operator intervention or fully automatically. In the case of data confirmation on this stage, the document, assumed as correct, is directed to the further processing or storage (7). Otherwise, the document is marked erroneous and therefore rejected (8).

Bibliography

[0064] 1. ABBYY FineReader Bank. Ver.4.1. Users manual. Moscow: 1998.

[0065] 2. ABBYY FineReader Ver.6.0. Users Guide. Moscow: 2002.

[0066] 3. ABBYY FormReader Ver.4.1. Users Guide. Moscow: 2001. 

1. System of automated document processing, comprising a document, containing at least a main section and a supplementary section, said main section containing data in character form, said supplementary section containing data in machine-readable form, document forming device, containing device for printing the main section data, and a special device for data transformation and outputting to the supplementary section of the document, at least one device for inputting data from the said main and supplementary sections, a character recognition device, a comparison device for a whole or a predefined portion of the recognized character data from the said main section with a whole or a predefined portion of the data from the supplementary section.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplementary section data comprises a copy of the whole or a significant part of the main section document data.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplementary section comprises complementary portion of document data, absent in the main section.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplementary section comprises other supplementary data.
 5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a decision about the type of subsequent document processing is made in accordance with the result of the main and the supplementary sections data comparison.
 6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein a decision about the accuracy of the main section data is made in accordance with the result of the main and the supplementary sections data comparison.
 7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the decision on the data accuracy is made automatically.
 8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the decision on the data accuracy is made manually.
 9. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the main section data is considered as more accurate.
 10. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the supplementary section data is considered as more accurate.
 11. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the decision in support of data accuracy is made only in the case of the full coincidence of the predetermined portions of main and supplementary sections data.
 12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplementary section data is placed onto the document via printing.
 13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplementary section data is written onto a special data storage media, said special data storage media is attached to said supplementary section of the document.
 14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the special data storage media is a magnetic type storage media.
 15. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the special data storage media is an optical type storage media.
 16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the special data storage media is a microprocessor type storage media.
 17. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document in the form of aggregate of points or strokes.
 18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document in the form of bar-code.
 19. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document in the form of one-dimensional bar-code.
 20. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document in the form of two-dimensional bar-code.
 21. The system as recited in claim 12, 18-21, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document in special ink.
 22. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document as coded consecution in the form of character string.
 23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the supplementary section data is placed on the document as coded consecution in the form of numerical string.
 24. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplementary section data is subjected to extra coding prior to inputting into document. 